happy birthday, uncle matt

we celebrated with a delicious meal at my in-laws.

in addition to the fudgy oatmeal bars (pictured above), the kids were super excited to try the birthday cake ice cream that grandma had picked up at the store...

happy birthday, uncle matt - it was a wonderful celebration.

before we get too far into

baseball season (which we now already have), i thought i better post on the boys' basketball season.  we had been thinking about switching leagues and finally took the plunge this year to one that we had heard is pretty 'competitive'.  we knew a lot of nice families in the league so we decided to go for it.


the boys both ended up on great teams and chris was the assistant for christopher's team since he coached andrew last year.


it was so neat to see the growth of both teams over the course of the season and both ended up doing exceptionally well.


both teams made it to the semi-finals.  in fact, we had both semi-final games going on at the same time - one on each court of the gym.  both were close, exciting games....stressful watching christopher's at the end it was soooo close!


christopher's semi-final game:

he made two free throws at the end of the game when it was super close - talk about pressure...

they lost the game by 1 point...so fun (and stressful) to watch such a close game, but they played amazing and had such a great season.


andrew's team won the semi-final game and went onto win the championship game a couple days later.  he played exceptionally well in the championship game and scored 18 points - he was on fire the entire game, it was so exciting to watch.

since they won the championship they each got to take turns cutting down the net...

andrew really enjoyed his team and looked forward so much to practice every week.

it was a great season.  the boys love playing basketball and i love watching. it is my favorite sport to watch.  i'm so proud of my boys.

kindergarten has...

CHICKS!!!

ella has been waiting for them to hatch...watching the incubator for weeks in her classroom.  asking multiple times a day if we can take one home once they've hatched (probably not).

so, john and i went in to see them this morning.  ella's teacher said to me, "you can pick one up and hold it" - me being the squimish about holding animals person that i am didn't jump too quickly on that suggestion.  so, she had ella come over and hold one...

then john asked if he could hold it so i tried to take it from ella and she noticed the chicks leg was dangling and it needed it to be in my hand.  once i felt that little chicks leg i got 'squimish' again and passed it back to ella.  i'm sure glad my kids aren't as wimpy as i am about touching/holding animals - man i'm pathetic.

pasta carbonara

i had never even heard of it until i came across this recipe recently.  i made it last week for dinner and it was delish.

it was super easy to make.  i love any recipe with only a handful of ingredients.  not the healthiest, but we eat pretty healthy around here so i wasn't too worried about it.

the kids seriously loved it and it's always nice to have left overs - the boys loved having it as an after school snack before baseball.


Pasta Carbonara

• package of pasta (linguine, spaghetti, fettucine)
• 1 pound bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling)
• salt
• pepper

Cook bacon, let cool, then break into small pieces

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add onion and a pinch of salt. Saute onion until transluscent, but not brown. Add whipping cream and cook until it has reduced by about a third. It should be super thick and rich.  I added more cream and next time would probably add even more (might as well us the whole container!!) to make it more saucy.

While the cream is reducing, cook pasta according to the packages directions. Drain.

Mix together the cream sauce and the pasta, adding in the Parmesan cheese and tossing until mixed. Add bacon and toss again. Season to taste. (Wait until the end to season because the bacon and cheese are salty and you don’t want to oversalt it.) Serve with fresh cracked pepper and more Parmesan, if desired.


**I'll definitely make this again - super easy, quick, and tasty!

4th grade field trip to the

state capitol.

 i was a chaperone.  first time ever.  i usually go to the field trips but always with my little one (or little ones in years past) in tow -  a nice excuse to leave early from some of the long field trips.

christopher's teacher asked if i would chaperone this one.  i was honored and so i got to ride the bus with all the big 4th graders.  this was my group:

the girls:  (they loved being photographed)

and the boys (they didn't mind it too much either):

first we toured the park across from the capitol.  it has all sorts of statues and plaques representing different historical events and people.  christopher was especially thrilled with this statue of a franciscan priest because the plaque said he had been a teacher at st. mary's high school...anyone that knows christopher knows he is die hard about sm.

then we went inside the capitol museum for a tour:

those old buildings are so neat.  it was great for the kids to see so much of what they have been learning about.  we actually wished we had more time to stay, there was so much to see.

they got to go in and sit in the balcony of the senate building and see where all the senators sit and see exactly where bills get passed.  they even saw some protesters outside the capitol - it was a great learning experience for them and i'm glad i was able to go -  even if my little one couldn't come along this time!

timeless

blocks that is.   big ones that can sometimes be a pain to store - they are timeless.  they've been in our family for at least 18 years.  john had a great time playing with them the other day.

i was vacuuming, something he deals with but doesn't really like me doing - whenever i turn it off for a minute to put on an attachment or something he always asks "all done?" - and he started playing with them in his room.

he was so focused on it.  stacking them some certain way and then immediately changing them around to create something else. 'my bulding' is what he kept calling them.

he was so quiet i had to go check on him. and then i just sat down and watched him as he changed things around, so focused on his work that he never even looked up.

i just loved watching him and his little creations and how serious he was about it and how proud he was of all of his buldings.  man do i love this kid.

our older kids still love playing with them too.  they'll get them out and make big walls to knock down or jump over in the hallway or cool castles to put action figures on.

i don't think i'll ever get rid of these - no matter how big they are.

watching for cats

we have several neighborhood cats who like to seriously tease our little dog lady.  they run across our back wall where she can't get to them and hide in our shed waiting for her to come out and chase them.

so, she has started watching for them from the back of our couch looking out into our backyard.  she goes crazy when she sees one crying to dart out and chase it.

recently, i caught andrew watching with her.  just sitting there waiting and watching with her on the couch looking out the big arcadia glass door.  it was pretty cute...

and they did, in fact, see one and ran out to chase it.

these two have always had a special bond.

how do you like her lovely underbite?

i have to include this picture, because christopher being the responsible first born is the one who always makes sure she's been fed and has water even when it isn't his day.  thanks, christopher - what would i do without you?

oh, and those star wars sheets - they were mine (and my brothers) from when we were little.   i know pottery barn makes them now, but these are the original real deal.  thanks to nani who keeps everything!

Easter

we had a lovely easter day. it has become tradition for the kids to find their hidden baskets on easter morning.  then it was off to mass in the school courtyard at ssj...

it was beautiful - both the mass and the weather.  then we went to grandma & grandpa's for brunch and baseball...

i made these lemon glazed cakes...they were yummy

christopher's teacher lives down the street from my in-laws so we stopped by to wish her a happy easter and give her a little treat...

after coming home for john-john's nap and to make more food we were off to nani's for dinner and the easter egg hunt...

once john found a handful of eggs, he was done with the hunt.  he was drawn to the trampoline since no one was on it (this never happens at nani's, the three older kids hardly get off it when we're there).  he was thrilled to have the whole thing to himself...

this is his face after telling me something, he is so focused when he says his sentences...

 a new tradition was started last year by the kids.  they hide the eggs for the adults and we find them.  so once they were done with their hunt, they handed over their baskets and we got to hunt for eggs.  i have to say it is pretty fun - they get really into it...giving us hints and letting us know if we're hot or cold.

bobby got to use a basha's grocery bag for his eggs, he is a bagger there you know...

it was a lovely day...